Activists, opposition to push for new Malawi Electoral Commission
Civil rights activists and opposition parties say they will fight to the nail to ensure that the current cohort of Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) commissioners are removed from office.
They were reacting angrily to President Peter Mutharika’s declaration on Wednesday that he would not fire the commissioners as recommended by parliament, saying he sees nothing wrong with them.
But Human Rights Defenders Coalition (HRDC) chairperson Gift Trapence said it was only Mutharika who does not see anything wrong with the current crop of the commissioners.
“We are going to fight until they are removed from office. We don’t want them to handle the next election,” he said.
Malawi Congress Party (MCP) secretary general Eisenhower Mkaka said the party will pursue all legal means to have the commissioners removed from office.
“We are just waiting for Supreme Court judgment. After the ruling, we will see how to go forward with the matter,” he said.
UTM publicist Joseph Chidanti Malunga said his party will pursue legal path to get the commissioners out of office.
UTM took the government to the High Court to force president Peter Mutharika fire the commissioners but the case has since been put on hold pending the Supreme Court ruling on the presidential election case.
In its ruling on February 3 2020, the Constitutional Court (ConCourt) found gross incompetence in the electoral body’s management of the annulled May 2019 presidential election results.
The court, therefore, ordered Parliament’s Public Appointments Committee (PAC) to further evaluate the commissioners’ performance and make appropriate recommendations to President Peter Mutharika.
PAC, upon assessment, recommended that the President fires the commissioners and replace them with a new set ahead of the fresh presidential poll that the National Assembly has proposed be held on May 19 2020.
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Unless we have a new MEC, Opposition might as well forget winning the fresh election. This is so because the current MEC has already rigged the election. The way NRB and MEC are conducting their registration exercise leaves a lot to be desired. Firstly the registration of minors, particularly in Lhomwe belt, ensures voters data is compromised in favour of DPP.. Secondly the assault of the Opposition monitors by the so-called cadets and absence of police leaves the registration centres with no challenges from Opposition to the extent that MEC can freely corrupt voters data. Thirdly the buying of ID’s… Read more »
U don’t fire people who are due for retirement and such people don’t need to resign. Zamach ende basi
Wina a adya Jane Ansah like Ndiwo ndi Nsima. Wadya Wadya basi
Iwe Banda nawenso ukusonyeza sukulu yako kuchepa kwabasi!
Umamugamulira months yemwe sanakadandaule ???
Ma MPs o mwe anakadandaula ku Khoti zinayenda kumeneko like MP waku Mangochi uja Khoti linamugamulira kuti chisankho chichitikenso. Vuwa Kaunda v. Ralph Mhone Khoti linagamula kuti Vuwa ndi yemwe anapambana. All this thru the same electoral commission.
Avoid Toilet summations. Read this. The court overstepped in its ruling, firstly the matter of 50+1 was not brought before the conmans-court. The Supreme Court had already made a ruling as such the only authority to bring up and change that law was parliament. Parliament already defeated was that bill twice. The polling stations in question if indeed affected, recount or new elections were a better remedy than nullification of the whole electoral process as it is a tripartite election it doesn’t work in ones or 2’s but three elections held at the same time. The judgement in itself is… Read more »
Anthu oti anawina, koma akuopa kuchotsa zigawenga zama COMMISSIONERS.
KOMANSO mukulemba tiana ku Phalombe and Mulanje kuti tizavote, kutha ma plan Alomwe kkkkkkk.
tiana tikulemebetsa ku Lilongwe mapuyu akulembaso ndi a DDP omwewa?
One Timothy mtambo resigned before Jane Ansah. This is a waste of time
For the past 9 Months HRDC and MCP have been so violent with an aim of forcing MEC Chairperson to resign; by the end of it all, Mtambo resigned. This time instead of MEC commissioners being fired, it will be either Chakwera resigning or Chilima withdrawing from the alliance. Let’s watch as the drama unfolds.
Ng’oooooo
Bakha 🦆 phweeeeeeee
Non starter. Good luck
No court has power to remove the commissioners only the president can. Likewise the president can not fire a judge only through parliament impeachment.
Why should MEC be desolved when their case is at Supreme court. Koma Inu a opposition
plus hrdc mitu yanu imagwira? Fwetseki
I think mutu wako ndiwo usakugwira bwino ntchito. That’s why you don’t see any problem in the conduct of the current commissioners..
Bakha 🦆 phweeeeeeee